Revenge: Illusion: Episode 6 Season 2—TV Review

Last night, Revenge returned in a rightful blaze of glory. “Illusion” dealt with the masks people wear to hide the truth while getting what they want. Everyone was in their element with backstabbing, scheming and the like. Once again, the biggest mystery was who set the Hamptons on fire.

Episode Title: “Illusion”

Conrad and Victoria cement the ties that bind them, while Emily and Amanda work to keep Mason in the dark.

The Good:

Reconstructive Web: At the start of the episode, Emily and Amanda seemed to have nipped their Mason problem in the bud. Emily had prepared a cover-up story for the missing back burn. But thanks to a careless remark from Victoria, Mason’s now has the inkling that Emily is really Amanda. With a bone like that, this dog won’t be letting up for quite some time.

Redemption: Charlotte may not take on the family tradition of backstabbing like her brotherDaniel. She had the presence of mind to skip out on her parents wedding. She missed the moment where the cops slapped the cuffs on her faux father. But no worries, this won’t be the last time a Grayson tangles with the law.

Unbridled Glee: Victoria unfroze her face long enough to show joy at the thought of marrying a man that would be arrested. It was almost delicious, watching her ply Conrad with talk of waking up as a family. Obviously she’s a carnivore that likes to play with her food before eating it.

Change Course: How can we pick a relationship to root for if Emily has insane chemistry with all her leading men? The tension between her and Aiden is exciting and new. However, the heat between her and Daniel is as hot as the red dresses she’s been wearing. Please stop stringing fans along; make Emily kiss a boy already.

The So-So:

Easy Mark: Are we going to finally make Ashley interesting? With the sparks cascading off Daniel and Emily, Aiden could date/investigate Ashley if the situation presented itself. He seems to have chemistry with her, although Aiden could have chemistry with a wet blanket if he tried. Being that this is Ashley, it’s hard to stay positive. So far she’s made a dead end out of every avenue of fascination.

So This Happened: Jack proposed to Amanda. Even though she’s distinguished herself in these last two episodes, it’s hard to get behind a decision like that. Probably because fans are waiting on tenterhooks for Amanda to morph back into the soul sucking disappointment we’ve all come to hate. In other Porter news, Jack got a haircut. Finally, Jack has fallen victim to the required season two sexy look. So there’s that.

Padma Problems: Let usrejoice at having Nolan back in full form. After a couple weeks of being pushed aside, he was everywhere and handing out witty barbs to everyone. Regrettably, instead of divorcing himself from Padma, Nolan intends on weaving her into his plans to keep Grayson Global away from NolCorp. Since she’s still untrustworthy, it seems like this is an ill-advised leap of faith on his part.

The Bad:

Remorse: All it took was Kenny’s look of regret after Jack complimented him for us to write off this plot once and for all. Kenny, this is the Hamptons. No matter how horrific your plans are, there’s no room for guilt, shame or doubt. You do not belong, just like your tired boring story.

The Quotable:

“A second chance at love doesn’t happen very often, but a third and a fourth? You must spin quite a web.”

“They’ll get what’s coming to them. People like that always do.”

“I can handle Daniel Grayson; he’s really not so formidable, unless there are feelings involved… Okay, you win with the steely eyes.”

“So did you want to carpool to the wedding or should we just meet you there?”

“Well, Vera Wang had more than a little to do with this.”

“Lifestyles of the rich and shameless.”

“Em…, Mr. Bond.”

“Having Conrad arrested for murder at his own wedding? That’s Revenge all-star opportunity. Still, I don’t see how that solves the more pressing issue of Mason Treadwell.”

“I didn’t realize that your son had stooped to dating the help.”

Overall:

Sunday’s episode was almost a complete success for the Revenge crew. Getting half the cast together for the wedding was a great move. Giving Nolan and chance to play off Emily for more than one scene was more than welcomed. The only negatives are the continuing Stowaway and Padma plots.